The combination of moisture, such as precipitation, and cold temperatures can lead to the formation of slippery surfaces. Non-limiting examples of surfaces include walkways, sidewalks, court yards, parking lots, driveways, roads and runways. Pedestrians and commuters alike risk injury when traveling over such surfaces. There are a variety of approaches that address this issue. One example is the application of de-icing compounds to a surface, lowering the freezing temperature of water. This is known to reduce the formation of ice and improve traction of the surface.
The most common de-icing compound used for this purpose is rock salt (alternatively chloride salts or road salts). The salt, in its solid state, may be applied to various surfaces. Upon application, the salt dissolves in the snow, ice, or water, on the surface, forming a salt water compound that has a lower freezing temperature.
More recently, transportation departments have begun to apply salt brine to their roads and walkways. Salt brine can be any liquid salt mixture and is sprayed on the surfaces in liquid form. In some cases, salt brine has been applied to surfaces before snow or ice events because it is known to absorb on the surface and reduce the initial accumulation of ice—reducing the burden of snow and ice removal later. In the field, this method is typically referred to as anti-icing.
The runoff mixture of salt and water has been found to have a detrimental impact on the surrounding environment, including, but not limited to, waterways.
In some cases, road authorities have begun to use alternative de-icing compounds including agricultural by-products, such as sugar beet juice, which reduce the amount of salt entering the environment.
While these more recent solutions have been found to reduce the amount of salt applied to the surfaces, they too become waste products that runoff and enter the environment with the melted snow, ice and other water. Currently, people or systems apply new de-icing compounds each time when a ground surface becomes icy or in anticipation thereof and these applied compounds are wasted and drain into the environment or the sewage systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,426 to Decoster et al. describes a system that collects grey water from a house and ground water, and uses the water to spray surrounding trees and lawn. U.S. Pat. No. 8,221,029 to Henry et al. describes a rainwater collection and harvesting system under artificial turf. However, these systems were intended for the purpose of rainwater collection as opposed to salt brine collection, and are not concerned with slippery surfaces due to cold weather. These U.S. patents do not consider collecting salt brine, and managing the same to reduce waste and environmental impact.
European Patent Nos. 0704573 to Kruss et al., and 0938615 to Lingen describe permeable paving surfaces that collect and hold liquids underground. Both of these European patents do not consider collecting salt brine and managing the same to reduce waste and environmental impact.
European Patent No. 0458992 to Weber discloses a stationary de-icing liquid spray installation. This installation, however, does not consider collecting salt brine and managing the same to reduce waste and environmental impact.
Therefore, it is herein recognized that there is a desire for an integrated pavement system that collects salt brine and addresses one or more of the above deficiencies.